


without spinach

by Idnis



Series: Tumblr Prompts 🌿 [2]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Diners, Diners, M/M, Prompt Fic, Sassy Andrew, Tumblr Prompt, and Neil too, both are sassy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 06:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18685558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idnis/pseuds/Idnis
Summary: Neil visits a diner while he's on the run, and meets someone who makes him want to stay.





	without spinach

 

 

 

> “You’re seriously like a man-child.”

After hours and hours on the road,  
his arms stiff and his back hurting,  
the diner on the side of the road looks like heaven on earth.  
  
Without thinking, Neil pulls over.  
  
Dust flies in the air as his tires crunch over the gravel, leaving behind the smoothness of the highway.  
  
The diner is red and white.  
With a body that feels like it’s been crammed into a matchbox, Neil walks stiffly to the door.  
  
He has the urge to run,  
loosen up his limbs,  
but he knows it would attract attention if he were to run circles around the diner or on the parking lot.  
  
A jingle sounds when he enters, alerting a brown skinned guy behind the counter, who gives Neil a smile when he sees him.  
  
“Good morning!”  
  
_It’s morning?_  
  
The way Neil feels, it should at least be noon.  
  
He sits on a stool near the bar, a bad choice since he has to nearly jump to get on it,  
and orders a coffee.  
  
“Sure thing,” the guy whose name tag reads _Matt_ says. “Milk or sugar?”  
  
“Neither,” Neil replies.  
  
“Ah, been driving a long time?”  
  
Neil knows it’s weirder if he doesn’t answer, so he says, “Yeah.”  
  
Besides, he’ll leave this place behind soon enough.  
  
The jingle of the door sounds again,  
and footsteps suddenly come closer, are in fact coming straight for Neil.  
  
Neil jumps to his feet, hand inching towards his gun.  
But it’s not one of his father’s guys.  
  
It’s just a small blond guy wearing the same apron as Matt.    
  
“Andrew, you know you should stop taking such long smoke breaks,” Matt says.  
  
“When this place is full, I will,” Andrew says, and his voice has the low, raspy quality of someone who takes long smoke breaks.  
  
Andrew’s right however.  
  
Besides Neil, there’s only three more customers.  
Two truckers in a booth,  
and an older guy sitting at the opposite end of the bar.  
  
It’s then that Neil notices Andrew’s looking at him, one of his eyebrows raised.  
  
Trying to act casual, Neil sits down again, and Matt immediately puts a fresh cup of coffee in front of him.  
  
“Thanks,” Neil says.  
  
“You’re new,” Andrew says, when Matt leaves the counter to check up on the truckers.  
  
“Don’t see how that’s any of your business,” Neil answers.  
  
His stomach growls loudly then, and it’s awkwardly obvious in the quiet diner; the country music in no way loud enough to drown it out.  
  
He reaches for the menu but Andrew is faster and snatches it from its stand  
before handing it to Neil.  
  
Neil gives him an annoyed look that Andrew doesn’t react to,  
then grabs the menu and reads through his choices.  
  
Now that he’s aware he hasn’t eaten in a day, he’s suddenly _starving_.  
  
“I want eggs,” Neil says, but then his eyes falls on the omelette. “The omelette.”  
  
“You want it with cheese, bacon, mushrooms, or spinach?”  
  
Neil pulls a face. “You make them with spinach?”  
  
“Yeah,” Andrew says flatly. “It’s healthy.”  
  
Neil grimaces. “Sure.”  
  
Andrew stares at him.  
At least ten seconds pass before he speaks again.  
  
“Seriously?”  
  
“What?” Neil asks.  
  
“You still need to tell me how you want your omelette.”  
  
“Bacon and cheese.”  
  
Andrew gives him the same blank stare as before.  
It should be unnerving, but Neil just finds it amusing.  
  
Maybe it’s because they’re talking about omelettes.  
  
“Shouldn’t you write that down?” Neil asks, quirking an eyebrow.  
  
“No,” Andrew says. “I think I can remember that you don’t like healthy food.”  
  
“I don’t mind fruit,” Neil says.  
  
The words are out of his mouth before he realizes it,  
and what’s worse,  
they’re the truth.  
  
He’s just given this random guy a truth about himself.  
Willingly.  
  
“Fruit has a lot of sugar in it,” Andrew says. “Not enough.”  
  
“Fine,” Neil says. “I eat vegetables as long as I don’t see them.”  
  
“You’re seriously like a man-child.”  
  
It’s then that Matt returns, arms full of empty plates and cups. “Excuse me?” he says, and gives Andrew a stern look. “Did you just call a customer a _man-child_?”  
  
“Yes,” Neil says, before Andrew can.  
  
And finally, the blank stare is gone.  
  
Andrew shoots Neil a glare that Neil answers with what he knows is a satisfied grin.  
  
“One bacon and cheese omelette, coming right up,” Andrew says and he turns to go to the kitchen.  
  
“I’m so sorry,” Matt says, apparently not minding that he’s balancing a full breakfast on his arms. “Andrew isn’t the best at handling customers.”  
  
But Neil was having a great time.  
  
“I don’t think you really need that in a place like this,” he says.  
  
“True.” Matt sounds almost sad when he says it. “It’s a shame our town is so remote. We really do have some great local businesses, not to mention an awesome Exy team.”  
  
The way Matt talks about his town makes Neil feel hollow inside.  
It reminds him what he’s missing.  
  
But at the mention of Exy, Neil perks up again. “You have an Exy team?”  
  
“Yeah! It’s really small but we’re doing alright. Actually won our state’s competition three times in a row. We just never get past the other competitions.”  
  
Even though Neil’s been on the run for years now,  
he always makes time to check the latest Exy news.  
  
Sometimes, when the miles are flying past him,  
Neil imagines he’s running on the field,  
the harsh stadium lights burning his eyes and the rush of his own blood in his ears.  
  
“Shame,” Neil says, and means so much more than this small town Exy team never advancing.  
  
Matt nods, then walks back to the kitchen.  
  
Neil takes a drink of his coffee.  
It’s really good.  
The right amount of bitterness and depth that wakes him up.  
  
He’s almost finished his cup when Andrew comes back from the kitchen with a big plate that he puts in front of Neil.  
It smells so good that Neil’s stomach growls again.  
  
Andrew looks at him.  
  
Neil returns his stare. “Aren’t you supposed to tell me what this is?”  
  
“If you can’t see this is an omelette, you’ve got a problem,” Andrew says.  
  
The corners of Neil’s lips curve before he can stop himself.  
He grabs a knife and a fork and starts cutting into his breakfast.  
  
“Did you make this yourself?” he asks before taking a bite.  
  
“I thought you were starving,” Andrew says.  
  
“Not for death.”  
  
Unexpectedly,  
or maybe Neil should’ve expected it,  
Andrew’s eyes lose their detachedness, and in its place burns an intensity that startles Neil.  
  
“Good,” Andrew says. “Now eat the fucking omelette.”  
  
Neil does.  
And it’s good.  
It’s _really_ good.  
  
Neil tries not to let it show, but he can tell Andrew knows by the slight smugness in his expression.  
  
When Neil’s almost finished inhaling the food,  
Andrew’s smugness is getting suspicious.  
  
For a terrifying second, Neil wonders if Andrew poisoned him.  
  
But no, they’re in the middle of nowhere.  
Which means…  
  
Neil’s eyes widen slightly as he slowly lowers his fork.  
  
“You put spinach in it,” he says, dumbfounded.  
  
He scrapes the cheese on the top away and sure enough,  
the tiniest of green flakes are sprinkled throughout the warm yellow.  
  
Andrew actually put spinach in it.  
  
It’s kind of hilarious.  
It’s horrible customer service, but it’s ballsy alright.  
  
“Shouldn’t you treat your customers better than this?” Neil says. “Since you don’t get that many.”  
  
“I don’t know you,” Andrew says. “Chances are, you’re never coming back.”  
  
It’s true.  
  
But the thought makes Neil feel slightly sad,  
and that.  
That catches him by surprise.  
  
In no way is this diner a place to stay,  
yet the way Matt described the town… It made Neil ache for a place to call his own, for a place to be _himself_.  
  
_Besides_ , his mind supplies helpfully, _they have an Exy team_.  
  
Neil eats the last bite of his omelette so he doesn’t have to give an answer just yet.  
If Andrew notices, he doesn’t say anything.  
  
Neil’s fairly certain Andrew notices.  
  
Even though Andrew’s eyes look blank,  
there’s something behind them that suggests there’s more to him than a detached boredom.  
  
It makes Neil’s next words easy.  
  
“What are you doing in a place like this?”  
  
Andrew stops cleaning the coffee machine. He slowly turns around, then leans against the counter.  
  
“Who’s asking?”  
  
The obvious answer would be a lie.  
A fake name, a fake identity, something that leaves no trails.  
But the ache in Neil’s chest is particularly bad this morning, and so.  
  
“Neil.”  
  
“Well, Neil. There’s an excellent rehabilitation center here.”  
  
Not the answer Neil expected.  
  
Judging by the dark circles under Andrew’s eyes,  
maybe he should have.  
  
“You’re addicted to drugs?”  
  
“Wrong.” Andrew tilts his head. “Try again.”  
  
Neil looks at Andrew,  
really looks at him,  
and comes to the unfortunate conclusion that Andrew’s attractive.  
  
Not what he was looking for.  
  
He’s looking for bruises,  
a preference for the left arm,  
a flightiness that’s unusual in others.  
  
But he finds nothing.  
  
“It’s not a parent,” Neil says. “Nor a partner. So that leaves me with a friend or a sibling. Except you’re not the type for BFFs.” He pauses. “Sibling, then.”  
  
The intensity is back in Andrew’s eyes.  
A gleam that burns.  
A gleam that tells Neil he’s right.  
  
Andrew leans closer. “Tell me why you’re here, Neil.”  
  
“Just passing through.”  
  
“But you’re not going anywhere, are you?” Andrew’s gaze seems to look through Neil as he says, “You’re going away.”  
  
Neil unthinkingly holds his breath.  
It’s such an obvious tell that he really should’ve expected Andrew’s next words.  
  
“Or is it _running_ away?”  
  
The truth still catches Neil by surprise.  
The truth still feels lonely.  
  
Matt returns then.  
  
“Did you enjoy your meal?”  
  
“It was good,” Neil says.  
  
As Matt comes closer to take Neil’s empty plate away, Andrew leans back.  
  
“Great!” Matt smiles. “Do you want some more coffee?”  
  
Neil nods, but before Matt can reach for the coffee can, Andrew snatches it away.  
  
“I’ll do it,” Andrew says.  
  
It earns him a skeptical look from Matt,  
which Andrew ignores in favour of turning to Neil and pouring him his coffee.  
  
“Milk or sugar?”  
  
“Neither,” Neil answers.  
  
“No vegetables, yet you drink your coffee black,” Andrew muses. “Something doesn’t add up.”  
  
It makes Neil smile.  
  
“You treat me like shit, yet you stay in this place for your brother,” he says, taking a guess. “Something doesn’t add up.”  
  
The look Andrew shoots him is partly threatening, partly something else.  
  
Neil takes a sip of his coffee, then turns to Matt.  
  
“Does your remote town have a hotel?”  
  
Matt spins around excitedly. “No, but it has a bed and breakfast.”  
  
“Don’t think about it,” Andrew says.  
  
“Can you tell me the name?” Neil asks, ignoring Andrew.  
  
“Yeah, sure!” Matt reaches for the notepad in his pocket and scribbles something down. “It’s the Fox’s Den.”  
  
Neil takes the note and stares at the words on the paper.  
  
_The Fox’s Den.  
  
_It’s not part of the plan.  
It’s absolutely not a part of the plan, but when Neil pockets the slip, he knows he’s going to check it out.  
He knows he’s going to drive through the dust to find the bed and breakfast  
and maybe  
a place to stay.  
  
“Thanks,” Neil says.  
  
“Hey, no problem,” Matt says cheerfully. “If you decide to stay, come check out our Exy team.”  
  
Andrew sighs.  
Neil gives him a look, but Andrew’s face is blank again.  
  
It’s a shame.  
Neil sort of liked the intensity.  
  
“Andrew plays too,” Matt adds with a grin. “And even though he complains, he’s really good.”  
  
Another unexpected thing about Andrew.  
About this place.  
  
Neil doesn’t bother hiding his amusement when he gives Andrew a look.  
  
This time, Andrew responds with his middle finger.  
  
Neil laughs.  
  
If the team doesn’t gather national attention, it’s probably safe to check it out, he reasons with himself.  
  
“I will,” Neil says to Matt.  
  
He doesn’t miss Andrew’s calculating stare when he says the words,  
nor his appreciative look when Neil stands and slaps some money on the counter.  
  
“Thanks,” Matt says. “See you around!”  
  
Neil nods, and when Matt walks away to help the only other customer left in the diner, turns to Andrew.  
  
“Don’t bother coming to the court unless you can score on me,” Andrew says boredly.  
  
But it’s not boredom.  
It’s a fucking challenge.  
  
“And if I do?” Neil asks.  
  
Andrew tilts his head. “What do you want?”  
  
“Do you really want the answer?”  
  
Because the answer to that question is too heavy,  
too achingly lonely,  
for just one man to handle.  
  
But Andrew simply meets Neil’s stare and says, “Yes.”  
  
The honest answer would be  
‘ _I want to stop running  
__and start living_.’  
  
And  
‘ _I want to be more than nothing.’_ _  
__  
_ And _  
__‘I want to be a memory, to live inside someone’s mind when I’m dead.’_ _  
__  
_ And for a moment, Neil wonders what it would be like if he could actually be honest.  
If Andrew could actually handle the truth.  
  
Then he disregards the thought.  
  
“How about an omelette _without_ spinach?” Neil says.  
  
Andrew doesn’t laugh.  
  
But his eyes aren’t blank when Neil turns and walks out of the Palmetto Diner,  
hand clasped tightly around the slip of paper in his pocket.  
  
x

**Author's Note:**

> For some reason, the idea of a remote diner really stuck with me.  
> A place where most people just pass through, and where generally, no one stays.  
> Which is why Neil does.
> 
> I dunno I liked the premise! I hope you did too! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and let me know what you thought if you want ♡


End file.
